Lyzette Wanzer, MFA

The key to a successful microfiction story is a well-defined character married with plot development, all compressed into a brief but potent narrative. These pieces foster creativity and expand writing skills, refining the ability to convey complex ideas concisely without sacrificing the story's punch or meaning. Microfiction is a genre that both challenges and sharpens your writing. In this workshop, you will write and revise a story of 300 words or less. During this class you will:

• read and parse multiple microfiction examples
• workshop your story with your peers
• receive instructor feedback on your drafts
• explore places to publish your piece.

This is an intermediate-level workshop. Prior prose or poetry writing experience is required and assumed. Get more information about this workshop.

Have you thought about enrolling in a Creative Writing MFA program, but feel intimidated by the application process? Do you fret about how to make your application rise to the top in a stack of fierce competitors? How can you avoid the most common pitfalls?

You know how competitive these programs are and how exacting the admissions requirements can be. Learn how to curate a polished, professional, impactful application package that's designed to impress admission committees. In this workshop learn:

• how to avoid the blunders and omissions that many fellow applicants will make
• how to create a literary resume that adheres to professional standards
• the variations among program types (which format is right for you?)
• what to include in the dreaded personal statement–and what to leave out
• sources of funding support

Though this class is geared for people thinking about or planning to apply to an MFA program in fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry, playwrights and screenwriters are also welcome. Enrollment for this hands-on workshop is limited.

Writers, it's time to set aside the bevy of excuses about why you're not sending your work out to journals,  newspapers, magazines, and contests. In this boot camp-style workshop, you'll focus on submitting a maximum of two short stories, articles, essays, and/or creative nonfiction pieces to 20 markets in just six weeks (poets should be prepared to submit a group of three to five poems.) In a safe, supportive community, you'll begin by learning proper submission etiquette and protocol, avoiding pitfalls that mark you as an amateur.

• Learn where to locate legitimate, respectable markets
• Become proficient in navigating the publication landscape
• Get practical tips on formatting submissions that look professional
• Find out what the most popular submission platforms are and how they make your life easier
• Write your author bio
• Create a Research Collection Sheet to identify individualized markets
• Select and use a professional submission tracker

This workshop is designed for committed writers who have one or two finished, polished pieces (three to five pieces for poets) of 5,000 words or less that are ready to send out for publication. Register to reserve your space for this popular, dividend-yielding workshop.

One of the first steps to writing grants and applying for fellowships and artists' residency is your artist statement. As author statement also takes pride of place on your author webpage. This statement serves as your opportunity to demonstrate that you are a thoughtful, deliberate writer who takes their literary career seriously and who is deserving of funding. In this seminar, you will learn how to cast your work in its strongest, most evocative light. You will read several statement examples, learn how vetting committees use them, and then craft, workshop, and revise your own statement. Open to writers of all genres including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, essays, and graphic novels. Join us, online or in person!

** SOLD OUT **

A book proposal is an equation: a business case married with a marketing plan that you submit to publishers. In this workshop, students will learn the full spectrum of writing a first-draft proposal: what to include, what to leave out, faux pas to avoid, structuring your proposal in a professional format, and how to demonstrate to publishers that you're a serious writer who understands the 21st-century publishing landscape. 

Each week, students will write one draft section of their proposal. They will receive weekly critique on their drafts from the instructor, and they will also workshop sections with one another. Students must have a completed or in-progress nonfiction manuscript, and be comfortable using Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener. This workshop will sell out; early registration is advised. Register now!

The artist statement is an opportunity to demonstrate that you are a thoughtful, deliberate writer who takes their literary career seriously. You'll need a version of this statement on your grant, fellowship, and residency applications, as well as your author web page. In this class, you'll learn how to cast your work in its strongest, most evocative light.

• You'll read statement examples and learn how vetting committees use them.
• Through a series of exercises, you'll generate ideas on how to talk about your work.
• You'll craft, workshop, and revise your own statement.

Writers will leave with a statement that's ready to impress. This class is open to writers of all genres, including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, and graphic novels.

This strategy- and information-packed workshop is open to writers of any genre who are planning to apply for a literary grant, fellowship, scholarship, or a national or international writers' residency opportunity in 2025 or 2026.

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This workshop will cover:

• The dreaded Project Statement, Work Plan, or Goals and Objectives question
• How to demonstrate a rising trajectory (remembering that most people who are awarded grants are on their way up, not already there)
• Creating a professional literary CV
• Using headings and "buckets" to make your statement navigable
• How to craft clear, concise personal or "artist" statements (leave this class with a completed first draft in hand!)
• Why the marketing angle is so important
• Curating your social media profile to present yourself as a competitive applicant

Students should be computer savvy and prepared to engage in a range of hands-on activities. Register at https://www.writersgrotto.org/classes-and-events/get-the-grant-with-lyzette-wanzer

A book proposal is an equation: a business case married with a marketing plan that you submit to publishers. In this workshop, students will learn the full spectrum of writing a first-draft proposal: what to include, what to leave out, faux pas to avoid, structuring your proposal in a professional format, and how to demonstrate to publishers that you're a serious writer who understands the 21st century publishing landscape. Each week, students will write one draft section of their proposal. They will receive weekly critique on their drafts from the instructor, and they will also workshop sections with one another in small groups or partners. Students should have a completed or in-progress nonfiction manuscript, and be comfortable using Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener. Reserve your space for this popular offering at https://www.writersgrotto.org/classes-and-events/how-to-write-a-winning-nonfiction-book-proposal-with-lyzette-wanzer

Did you know that it's possible to sell a book on the strength of a book proposal alone—even if you haven't yet finished writing your book? A book proposal is an equation: a business case married with a marketing plan that you submit to publishers. In this workshop, students will learn the full spectrum of writing a first-draft proposal: what to include, what to leave out, faux pas to avoid, structuring your proposal in a professional format, and how to demonstrate to publishers that you're a serious writer who understands the 21st-century publishing landscape. Each week, students will write one draft section of their proposal. They will receive weekly critique on their drafts from the instructor, and they will also workshop some sections with one another in small groups or partners. Students must have either a completed or in-progress nonfiction manuscript, and be comfortable using Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener. Enrollment is limited for this hands-on workshop. Registration is available at https://loft.org/classes/6-week-write-winning-nonfiction-book-proposal

This strategy- and information-packed workshop is open to writers of any genre who are planning to apply for a literary grant, fellowship, scholarship, or any national or international writers' residency opportunity in 2025 or 2026.

This workshop will cover:

• The dreaded Project Statement, Work Plan, or Goals and Objectives question
• How to demonstrate a rising trajectory (remembering that most people who are awarded grants are on their way up, not already there)

• Using headings and "buckets" to make your statement navigable
• How to craft clear, concise personal or "artist" statements that do not ramble (leave this class with a completed first draft in hand!)
• Why the marketing angle is so important

Students should be computer savvy and prepared to engage in a range of hands-on activities. Learn more at https://midnight-indigo.com/collections/writing-classes-for-black-writers/products/applying-for-grants-residencies

As a writer in the 21st century, you will need some incarnation of this statement on your grant, fellowship, and other funding applications, your residency applications, and your author web page. This statement serves as your opportunity to demonstrate that you are a thoughtful, deliberate writer who takes their literary career seriously.

In this two-session seminar, you'll learn how to cast your work in its strongest, most evocative light. You will read several statement examples, learn how vetting committees use them, and then craft, workshop, and revise several drafts of your own statement. You will complete a series of writing exercises to generate ideas about how to talk about your work. We'll polish your statement until it is ready to impress! Open to writers of all genres including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, essays, and graphic novels. Get more information at https://www.mainewriters.org/calendar/artiststatement?rq=wanzer

You've heard the alphabet soup of these conferences: ASALH, AWP, CEA, CSA, MLA, PCA, SHC, and so many others.

In a safe and supportive environment, you will learn:

• how to choose the right writers' conference for you
• how to prepare a polished submission and make a professional impression
• how to create a conference plan
• explore options for financial support
• avoid common and costly mistakes in your CV and bio that mark you as an amateur.

This day-long, hands-on workshop is for writers who are applying to have their work—poetry, fiction, essays, and creative nonfiction—accepted for a panel at a writers' conference or convention, whether virtual or in-person. Students should be prepared to engage in several online research and task activities. Reserve your space at https://www.writersgrotto.org/classes-and-events/get-invited-to-read-at-literary-conferences-with-lyzette-wanzer

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